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Thursday, December 02, 2004
Southern (Warning) Bell

Even by the standards of the do-little Romney Administration the "Romney signs toughest-in-the-nation film piracy law" press release was a strange piece. (source: office of (fraud) gov, 11/17/2004)

Film piracy? This is what Team Reform has become? Or is Willard Mitt angling for that Hollywood campaign cash already?

The press release led one wag to muse, 'why are they so intent to prove that they are doing something?' And another muse to wag, 'why are they so intent to prove that they are in Massachusetts?'

Because as the scant few who cared knew, Willard Mitt and his entourage spent November 17 pulling up stakes and heading for the Republican Governor's Association (RGA) meeting in New Orleans. (source: Boston Globe, 11/16/2004)

Not including family, Romney's posse included four staff members and two state troopers. (source: Boston Globe, 11/19/2004) Officially, that is.

We hear one or two may have hid in the luggage bin and skipped the crowd counter.

Ironically, while Willard Mitt was in the Big Easy, his press office kept up the charade that it was business as usual in Boston. On November 18, Romney's $150,000-a-year Loathsome Spokesman released a missive describing how Lightweight LG Sherry Kerry had signed a "Law Regulating (the) Use of Motorized Scooters." (source: office of (fraud) gov, 11/17/2004)

Which made the Film Piracy thing look hard-hitting. And which made said Loathsome Spokesman look like he was in Boston. One day later Team Reform issued another release, this on Willard Mitt's becoming vice chair of the RGA. This was also purportedly released in Boston by ... Romney's $150,000-a-year Loathsome Spokesman.

Okay, this is getting boring. Let's cut to the chase.

Sources say that while Romney's official entourage numbered four staffers (and two cops) at least five staffers are said to have high-tailed it to N'awlins. So did all file statements of disclosure with the Ethics Commission? That's not what we hear.

The disclosure would have been filed to preclude the appearance of a conflict of interest. The RGA was a political event, and as everyone knows, state employees may not participate in political activities while being paid by the state least they fall under that pesky using "public resources" for political purposes thing. (source: MGL, chapter 268A) The disclosure would dispel the "political" connotations of participating in the event.

Oh yeah, the disclosure is meant to be filed in advance to ward off potential issues. It advises that the employee will NOT be on state time while participating in the political event.

Mouseketeer Roll-Call!

Did Romney's $150,000-a-year Loathsome Spokesman head south? He couldn't have. He was issuing press releases like there was no tomorrow.

Did the flack formerly known as the stout, Reese Witherspoon-wannabe dye-job aide to Romney’s loathsome $150,000-a-year spokesman tag along? Please. She issued a release on November 17. Besides, how many press flunkies does an itinerant Fraud Governor need?

Did Natalie Waczko head for fun in the sun? Her title is "Special Assistant to the (fraud) Governor & First Lady." Assistant to the first lady? Isn't the first lady a private citizen? The taxpayers are paying a state employee to staff a private citizen? In this, the worst economic crisis since The Great Depression?

Did super-lobbyist Cindy Gillespie go, too? Howsabout Frank Micciche, Romney's director of state and federal relations? He must have been there, right? And chief of staff Beth Myers?

So, if they went, were they on state time the entire trip?

Who paid their bills?

Did they file disclosure statements?

Okay, so we've narrowed it down to Col. Mustard in the kitchen with a lead pipe. But the question remains, why would someone head to an official conference, but allegedly not file a statement of disclosure that they were heading to an official conference? Unless they had nothing to disclose.

Or too much to disclose.

Operators are standing by.

It's a good thing the official (and unofficial) staffers had the most moral man in Massachusetts as their chaperone. No one would ever suspect that bunch of doing anything wrong. Right?

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